The Coke Machine (55 page)
Authors: Michael Blanding
Page 241 Coke’s famous promise:
Vedwan, “Pesticides in Coca-Cola and Pepsi,” 659-684.
Vedwan, “Pesticides in Coca-Cola and Pepsi,” 659-684.
Page 241 banned the sale of soft drinks:
Press Trust of India
, August 8, 2003.
Press Trust of India
, August 8, 2003.
Page 242 tore down posters of Bollywood film stars:
“India to Test Coca-Cola Sludge,” BBC News, August 7, 2003,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3133259.stm
.
“India to Test Coca-Cola Sludge,” BBC News, August 7, 2003,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3133259.stm
.
Page 242 “Within days”:
Banerjee, 94-95.
Banerjee, 94-95.
Page 242 “we can safely assert”:
Banerjee, 239, quoting ad from
Hindustan Times
, August 7, 2003.
Banerjee, 239, quoting ad from
Hindustan Times
, August 7, 2003.
Page 242 not accredited highly enough:
“Green Body Claims Coke, Pepsi in India Contain Pesticides,”
India Abroad
, August 15, 2003.
“Green Body Claims Coke, Pepsi in India Contain Pesticides,”
India Abroad
, August 15, 2003.
Page 242 plummeted more than 30 percent:
“Toxic Effect: Coke Sales Fall by a Sharp 30- 40%,”
Economic Times
, August 13, 2003.
“Toxic Effect: Coke Sales Fall by a Sharp 30- 40%,”
Economic Times
, August 13, 2003.
Page 242 Joint Parliamentary Committee backed up CSE’s findings:
Banerjee, 117.
Banerjee, 117.
Page 242 CSE’s own political agenda:
Banerjee, 98-100.
Banerjee, 98-100.
Page 242 state-of-the-art water-intake treatment system:
Kushal Yadav, interview by the author.
Kushal Yadav, interview by the author.
Page 243 pesticide story garnered more anti-Coke press:
Vedwan, “Pesticides in Coca-Cola and Pepsi.”
Vedwan, “Pesticides in Coca-Cola and Pepsi.”
Page 243 organize college students to fight for environmental justice:
Amit Srivastava, interview by the author.
Amit Srivastava, interview by the author.
Page 244 a budget of $60,000 a year:
Amit Srivastava, interview by the author; Steve Stecklow, “How a Global Web of Activists Gives Coke Problems in India,”
Wall Street Journal,
June 7, 2005.
Amit Srivastava, interview by the author; Steve Stecklow, “How a Global Web of Activists Gives Coke Problems in India,”
Wall Street Journal,
June 7, 2005.
Page 244 “The whole point”:
Bijoy, interview by the author.
Bijoy, interview by the author.
Page 245 Coke’s water use is an issue all over the world:
Srivastava, interview by the author.
Srivastava, interview by the author.
Page 245 new fire to the community in Mehdiganj:
Nandlal, interview by the author.
Nandlal, interview by the author.
Page 245 reputation for being one of the more corrupt states:
“Rampant Corruption in Uttar Pradesh’s Government, Says Report,” Indo-Asian News Service, February 18, 2010.
“Rampant Corruption in Uttar Pradesh’s Government, Says Report,” Indo-Asian News Service, February 18, 2010.
Page 245 arrested the regional head of the state pollution control board:
“Pollution Control Board Officer Held for Taking Bribe,” United News of India, March 27, 2009; Srivastava and Nandlal, interviews by the author; Amit Srivastava e-mail to the author, April 7, 2010.
“Pollution Control Board Officer Held for Taking Bribe,” United News of India, March 27, 2009; Srivastava and Nandlal, interviews by the author; Amit Srivastava e-mail to the author, April 7, 2010.
Page 245 “The pollution control board”:
Nandlal, interview by the author; India Resource Center, “Fact Finding Team on the Coca-Cola Company’s Franchisee Bottling Plant in Sinhachawar, Balia, Uttar Pradesh, India,” June 4, 2007; “Pollution Board to Investigate Coke in Varanasi,”
The South Asian
, September 23, 2006.
Nandlal, interview by the author; India Resource Center, “Fact Finding Team on the Coca-Cola Company’s Franchisee Bottling Plant in Sinhachawar, Balia, Uttar Pradesh, India,” June 4, 2007; “Pollution Board to Investigate Coke in Varanasi,”
The South Asian
, September 23, 2006.
Page 245 study by the state pollution board in West Bengal:
Press Trust of India
, August 8, 2003.
Press Trust of India
, August 8, 2003.
Page 246 specially lined concrete landfills:
“UP Village on Hunger Strike to Shut Down Coke plant,”
Hindustan Times
, June 23, 2006.
“UP Village on Hunger Strike to Shut Down Coke plant,”
Hindustan Times
, June 23, 2006.
Page 246 assessment of Plachimada’s groundwater:
Hazards Centre, “Ground Water Resources in Plachimada: Coca-Cola Stores Toxics for Future Generations” (New Delhi: People’s Science Institute, June 2006).
Hazards Centre, “Ground Water Resources in Plachimada: Coca-Cola Stores Toxics for Future Generations” (New Delhi: People’s Science Institute, June 2006).
Page 246 assessments of water conditions at five other Coke plants:
Hazards Centre, “How Harsh Is Your Soft Drink?” May 2010.
Hazards Centre, “How Harsh Is Your Soft Drink?” May 2010.
Page 246 “two things are incontrovertible”:
Dunu Roy, interview by the author.
Dunu Roy, interview by the author.
Page 246 The bioassay with the two fish:
Roy, interview by the author.
Roy, interview by the author.
Page 247 World Social Forum:
India Resource Center, “More Than 500 Protest World Social Forum,” press release, January 19, 2004.
India Resource Center, “More Than 500 Protest World Social Forum,” press release, January 19, 2004.
Page 247 movement against water privatization:
Press Trust of India
, September 25, 2003.
Press Trust of India
, September 25, 2003.
Page 247 same slogan Gandhi used:
“Conference Asks Soft Drink MNCs to End Water Exploitation,”
The Hindu
, January 22, 2004.
“Conference Asks Soft Drink MNCs to End Water Exploitation,”
The Hindu
, January 22, 2004.
Page 247 ten-day march of some one thousand villagers:
India Resource Center, “Police Attack Coca-Cola Protest, over 350 Arrested,” press release, November 25, 2004; Nandlal, interview by the author.
India Resource Center, “Police Attack Coca-Cola Protest, over 350 Arrested,” press release, November 25, 2004; Nandlal, interview by the author.
Page 248 vow of nonviolence:
India Resource Center; “Police Attack Coca-Cola Protest, over 350 Arrested,” press release, November 25, 2004; Nandlal, interview by the author; Vishwakarma, interview by the author.
India Resource Center; “Police Attack Coca-Cola Protest, over 350 Arrested,” press release, November 25, 2004; Nandlal, interview by the author; Vishwakarma, interview by the author.
Page 248 arrested more than 350 people:
Nandlal, interview by the author.
Nandlal, interview by the author.
Page 248 women who pushed to continue the protests:
Vishwakarma, interview by the author.
Vishwakarma, interview by the author.
Page 248 eight hundred people marched right up to the gates:
India Resource Center, “Over 800 Protest Coca-Cola in India,” press release, November 30, 2005.
India Resource Center, “Over 800 Protest Coca-Cola in India,” press release, November 30, 2005.
Page 248 first declaring in December 2003:
Judgement,
Perumatty Grama Panchayat v. State of Kerala
, The High Court of Kerala, W.P. (C) No. 34292 of 2003; V. M. Thomas, “Indian Village Claims Victory over Coke in Water Case,” Associated Press, December 16, 2003; Ranjit Devraj, “Greens Jubilant over Verdict Against Coke,” Inter Press Service, December 17, 2003.
Judgement,
Perumatty Grama Panchayat v. State of Kerala
, The High Court of Kerala, W.P. (C) No. 34292 of 2003; V. M. Thomas, “Indian Village Claims Victory over Coke in Water Case,” Associated Press, December 16, 2003; Ranjit Devraj, “Greens Jubilant over Verdict Against Coke,” Inter Press Service, December 17, 2003.
Page 248 council had acted without sufficient information:
Krishnan and Bijoy, interviews by the author; “Investigations on the Extraction of Groundwater by M/S Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited at Plachimada,” Final Report, filed before The Honourable High Court of Kerala, February 14, 2005; Judgement,
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (P) Ltd. v. Perumatty Grama Panchayat
, The High Court of Kerala, 2005(2) KLT554, July 4, 2005.
Krishnan and Bijoy, interviews by the author; “Investigations on the Extraction of Groundwater by M/S Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited at Plachimada,” Final Report, filed before The Honourable High Court of Kerala, February 14, 2005; Judgement,
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (P) Ltd. v. Perumatty Grama Panchayat
, The High Court of Kerala, 2005(2) KLT554, July 4, 2005.
Page 248 banned from extracting groundwater:
Press Trust of India
, March 22, 2004; V. M. Thomas, “India’s Kerala State Bans Coke Plant from Using Groundwater,” Associated Press, February 18, 2004.
Press Trust of India
, March 22, 2004; V. M. Thomas, “India’s Kerala State Bans Coke Plant from Using Groundwater,” Associated Press, February 18, 2004.
Page 248 extract up to half a million liters a day:
“This Kerala Village Fights Against Coke to Preserve Its Groundwater,”
Hindustan Times
, April 16, 2005; “Shareholders Accuse Coca-Cola of Misleading Them on Adverse India Report,”
WebIndia123.com
, April 23, 2005; “Coca-Cola Moves Kerala HC for Implementation of Its Order,”
Press Trust of India
, May 16, 2005; S. Anand, “Don’t Poison My Well,”
Outlook
, May 16, 2005.
“This Kerala Village Fights Against Coke to Preserve Its Groundwater,”
Hindustan Times
, April 16, 2005; “Shareholders Accuse Coca-Cola of Misleading Them on Adverse India Report,”
WebIndia123.com
, April 23, 2005; “Coca-Cola Moves Kerala HC for Implementation of Its Order,”
Press Trust of India
, May 16, 2005; S. Anand, “Don’t Poison My Well,”
Outlook
, May 16, 2005.
Page 249 “The thing is very simple”:
Krishnan, interview by the author.
Krishnan, interview by the author.
Page 249 court order to renew the license:
“Coke Set to Resume Production in Kerala,” Indo-Asian News Service, June 7, 2005; “Panchayat Rejects Coke’s Plea for Two-Year License,”
Press Trust of India
, June 13, 2005.
“Coke Set to Resume Production in Kerala,” Indo-Asian News Service, June 7, 2005; “Panchayat Rejects Coke’s Plea for Two-Year License,”
Press Trust of India
, June 13, 2005.
Page 249 “divulge all of its ingredients”:
Krishnan, interview by the author.
Krishnan, interview by the author.
Page 249 resist the reopening of the plant by any means necessary:
Ajayan and Bijoy, interviews by the author.
Ajayan and Bijoy, interviews by the author.
Page 249 injuring six while arresting seventy:
“Anti-Coke Protesters Lathicharged,”
Press Trust of India
, August 15, 2005.
“Anti-Coke Protesters Lathicharged,”
Press Trust of India
, August 15, 2005.
Page 249 plant couldn’t reopen:
“Kerala Pollution Board Orders Coke Plant to Close,”
Hindustan Times
, August 20, 2005.
“Kerala Pollution Board Orders Coke Plant to Close,”
Hindustan Times
, August 20, 2005.
Page 250 “would at least win”:
Banerjee, 143.
Banerjee, 143.
Page 250 even more pesticides in Coke and Pepsi:
“Pesticide Cocktail in Coke, Pepsi Brands, Says Study,”
Press Trust of India
, August 2, 2006; Amelia Gentleman, “Pesticide Charge in India Hurts Pepsi and Coke,”
New York Times
, August 22, 2006; “Soft Drinks, Hard Truths—II,” Centre for Science and Environment, August 2, 2006.
“Pesticide Cocktail in Coke, Pepsi Brands, Says Study,”
Press Trust of India
, August 2, 2006; Amelia Gentleman, “Pesticide Charge in India Hurts Pepsi and Coke,”
New York Times
, August 22, 2006; “Soft Drinks, Hard Truths—II,” Centre for Science and Environment, August 2, 2006.
Page 250 banned the sale of Coke and Pepsi:
“Sale of Coke, Pepsi to Be Banned in Kerala,”
Press Trust of India
, August 6, 2006; “Karna Bans Sale of Cola, Pepsi, Kerala Production,”
Press Trust of India
, August 9, 2006; “Anti-Coke Lobby Rebukes US Statement on Cola Ban in India,”
Hindustan Times
, August 18, 2006.
“Sale of Coke, Pepsi to Be Banned in Kerala,”
Press Trust of India
, August 6, 2006; “Karna Bans Sale of Cola, Pepsi, Kerala Production,”
Press Trust of India
, August 9, 2006; “Anti-Coke Lobby Rebukes US Statement on Cola Ban in India,”
Hindustan Times
, August 18, 2006.
Page 250 “This kind of action”:
“Anti-Coke Lobby Rebukes US Statement on Cola Ban in India.”
“Anti-Coke Lobby Rebukes US Statement on Cola Ban in India.”
Page 250 no authority to ban imported products:
“Kerala High Court Stays Government Ban on Sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi,”
Hindustan Times
, September 22, 2006.
“Kerala High Court Stays Government Ban on Sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi,”
Hindustan Times
, September 22, 2006.
Page 250 “Whatever the technical reasons”:
Ajayan and Bijoy, interviews by the author.
Ajayan and Bijoy, interviews by the author.
Page 250 When Neville Isdell took charge:
Banerjee, 223-225; “Coke May Hive Off Bottling Business,”
Times of India
, June 25, 2004.
Banerjee, 223-225; “Coke May Hive Off Bottling Business,”
Times of India
, June 25, 2004.
Page 251 half of Rajasthan is fed by rivers:
M.S. Rathore, Institute for Development Studies, Jaipur, interview by the author.
M.S. Rathore, Institute for Development Studies, Jaipur, interview by the author.
Page 251 built a bottling plant here:
TERI report, 138.
TERI report, 138.
Page 251 “Rajasthan is an important market”:
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Page 251 “I have been on roads”:
Sunil Sharma, interview by the author.
Sunil Sharma, interview by the author.
Page 252 less than 1 percent of water use:
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Page 252 The system can recharge 1.3 million liters:
Ranjan and Sharma, interviews by the author.
Ranjan and Sharma, interviews by the author.
Page 253 upgraded Kala Dera’s general hospital:
“Coca-Cola India Helps to Restore Sarai Bawari,”
Hindustan Times
, August 20, 2005.
“Coca-Cola India Helps to Restore Sarai Bawari,”
Hindustan Times
, August 20, 2005.
Page 253 methods that use 70 percent less water:
Ranjan, interview by the author; farmers at Farm Education Center, interviews by the author.
Ranjan, interview by the author; farmers at Farm Education Center, interviews by the author.
Page 253 protesters are “day laborers”:
Farmer and school principal, Kala Dera, interviews by the author.
Farmer and school principal, Kala Dera, interviews by the author.
Page 254 manipulating public opinion:
Srivastava, interview by the author.
Srivastava, interview by the author.
Page 254 loan of 150,000 rupees . . . for a new 225-foot bore well:
Mahesh Yogi, interview by the author.
Mahesh Yogi, interview by the author.
Page 255 every one of them raises a hand:
Farmers, Kala Dera, interviews by the author.
Farmers, Kala Dera, interviews by the author.
Page 255 has owned this farm for five generations:
Rameshwar Prasad Kuri, interview by the author.
Rameshwar Prasad Kuri, interview by the author.
Page 255 water level has gone down eight to ten feet a year:
Kuri, interview by the author; this is consistent with data from India’s Central Ground Water Department showing a decrease of 3.13 meters (10 feet) post-monsoon to 5.83 meters (19 feet) pre-monsoon in Kala Dera between 2007 and 2008, and 22 meters (73 feet) overall in the nine years between 2000 and 2009.
Kuri, interview by the author; this is consistent with data from India’s Central Ground Water Department showing a decrease of 3.13 meters (10 feet) post-monsoon to 5.83 meters (19 feet) pre-monsoon in Kala Dera between 2007 and 2008, and 22 meters (73 feet) overall in the nine years between 2000 and 2009.
Page 256 two thousand people came to see Indian environmentalist Medha Patkar:
“Protest March Against Coca-Cola Plant in Rajasthan,” Indo-Asian News Service, September 25, 2004.
“Protest March Against Coca-Cola Plant in Rajasthan,” Indo-Asian News Service, September 25, 2004.
Page 256 local people had the right to groundwater:
Sawai Singh, interview by the author.
Sawai Singh, interview by the author.
Page 256 three hundred rainwater-harvesting structures:
The Coca-Cola Company, “The Coca-Cola Company Pledges to Replace the Water It Uses in Its Beverages and Their Production,” June 5, 2007.
The Coca-Cola Company, “The Coca-Cola Company Pledges to Replace the Water It Uses in Its Beverages and Their Production,” June 5, 2007.
Page 257 able to recharge 46,933 cubic meters per year:
Coca-Cola India, “RWH Projects at Various Locations,” document provided by Kalyan Ranjan.
Coca-Cola India, “RWH Projects at Various Locations,” document provided by Kalyan Ranjan.
Page 257 twenty-eight feet to nineteen feet belowground:
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Page 257 level at the plant was eighty feet belowground:
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited ground water report, Annexure and Table A.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited ground water report, Annexure and Table A.
Page 257 average rainfall of 1,000 millimeters a year:
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited ground water report, Table A.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited ground water report, Table A.
Page 257 half of the rain fell on one day:
Nandlal and other activists, interviews by the author.
Nandlal and other activists, interviews by the author.
Page 257 more than ten feet between 2007 and 2008:
Central Ground Water Department, Government of India.
Central Ground Water Department, Government of India.
Page 257 half of the prior year’s total:
Rathore, interview by the author.
Rathore, interview by the author.
Page 258 two or three rainy days total . . . recharging seventeen times:
Rathore, interview by the author.
Rathore, interview by the author.
Page 258 groundwater gauge called a piezometer:
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Ranjan, interview by the author.
Page 258 lists Hindustan Coca-Cola among its clients:
Integrated Geo Instruments & Services client list,
http://www.igisindia.com/clientele_nongovt.htm
.
Integrated Geo Instruments & Services client list,
http://www.igisindia.com/clientele_nongovt.htm
.
Page 258 a representative confirms . . . $1,800 each:
E-mail from Madhusudan Integrated Geo Instruments & Services to the author, April 10, 2010.
E-mail from Madhusudan Integrated Geo Instruments & Services to the author, April 10, 2010.
Page 259 $10 million it recently bequeathed:
The Coca-Cola Company, “Local and Regional Foundations,”
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_local.html
.
CHAPTER 10 . THE CASE AGAINST “KILLER COKE”The Coca-Cola Company, “Local and Regional Foundations,”
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_local.html
.
Page 260 “The Coca-Cola Company”:
Recording of Killer Coke address to UMass Radical Student Union, April 28, 2004,
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~nsolinsk/
.
Recording of Killer Coke address to UMass Radical Student Union, April 28, 2004,
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~nsolinsk/
.
Page 261 child labor in sugarcane plantations:
Human Rights Watch,
Turning a Blind Eye: Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation
, vol. 16, no. 2(B), June 9, 2004. For Coke’s response to the allegations in El Salvador, see The Coca-Cola Company, “The Coca-Cola Company Response to the Human Rights Watch Report on Child Labor in El Salvador,” Company Statements, June 13, 2005, at
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/company_statements.html
. Also see
Dispatches: Mark Thomas on Coca-Cola
(London: Vera Films, 2007), part of a series produced for Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom, in which children are filmed cutting sugarcane for a Coke supplier.
Human Rights Watch,
Turning a Blind Eye: Hazardous Child Labor in El Salvador’s Sugarcane Cultivation
, vol. 16, no. 2(B), June 9, 2004. For Coke’s response to the allegations in El Salvador, see The Coca-Cola Company, “The Coca-Cola Company Response to the Human Rights Watch Report on Child Labor in El Salvador,” Company Statements, June 13, 2005, at
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/company_statements.html
. Also see
Dispatches: Mark Thomas on Coca-Cola
(London: Vera Films, 2007), part of a series produced for Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom, in which children are filmed cutting sugarcane for a Coke supplier.
Page 261 strike-busting in Russia and the Philippines:
There have been only scattered news reports on Coke’s union practices in Russia. See, for example, “Russian Coca-Cola Workers Demand Pay Hike, Fair Labour Rules,”
Toronto Star
, May 21, 2005, and Boris Kagalitsky, “A New Era for Labor Unions,”
Moscow Times
, December 6, 2007. In the Philippines, the union’s battle against Coke has been led by an affiliate of the International Union of Food and Allied Workers (IUF); for more information, see for instance “Outsourced Coca-Cola Philippines Workers Fight for Regularization” (May 28, 2008), on the IUF website,
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=5064&view_records=1&en=1
.
There have been only scattered news reports on Coke’s union practices in Russia. See, for example, “Russian Coca-Cola Workers Demand Pay Hike, Fair Labour Rules,”
Toronto Star
, May 21, 2005, and Boris Kagalitsky, “A New Era for Labor Unions,”
Moscow Times
, December 6, 2007. In the Philippines, the union’s battle against Coke has been led by an affiliate of the International Union of Food and Allied Workers (IUF); for more information, see for instance “Outsourced Coca-Cola Philippines Workers Fight for Regularization” (May 28, 2008), on the IUF website,
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=5064&view_records=1&en=1
.
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